Thank you for taking the time to look at details of our Partners & Supporters page. The aim of the “World Rugby Museum”. is to celebrate the history of the game of Rugby Football. The display of memorabilia and artefacts relating to the sport help to illustrate the history of our great sport. Rugby is a wonderful game, with a history that is both colourful and controversial. It is a game that has it's spawning ground in the public schools of England but has spread and diversified itself throughout the world. From the working class of Wales to the farmers of New Zealand, from the 4 provinces of Ireland to the Boers of the High Veldt in South Africa, from the Highlands of Scotland to the pampas of Argentina. Rugby Football is truly universal sport, you can help us to celebrate it's history. 

How ?

You can help the World Rugby Museum by partnering or supporting an exhibit or a page........................... 

PARTNERS

We are currently looking for partners to display the collections of memorabilia we have available. We believe that the history of rugby football should be celebrated in style, the stories of our great sport told with a display of memorabilia to add 'spice and flavour'. We are open to suggestions on how we can work together with prospective partners to further enhance these great collections and individual items of rugby memorabilia but the main theme must be that the partner undertakes to promote the history of Rugby Football. 

Partner options available are:-

Partnership/Ownership - This is where the partner purchases the collection/exhibit. Terms to be agreed.

Partnership/Hire - A partner can hire a collection/item for temporary exhibition. Terms to be agreed.

CLICK HERE FOR AN EXAMPLE OF A 'PARTNER'

CLICK HERE FOR COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITS AVAILABLE TO PARTNERS

SUPPORTERS

Our supporters work with us to promote the history of Rugby Football through the development of the World Rugby Museum website. As a supporter we will provide a reciprocal link to your website or we can even create a website for you if need be. As with our 'Partner Programme' we are open to suggestions with our 'Supporter Packages' if those below do not suit your needs. Our packages start at £25.00, please see below for pages & exhibits available.

FOR AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE WORK WITH SUPPORTERS PLEASE CLICK ON THE WALES v NEW ZEALAND PAGE BELOW WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY 'DIGITAL SYSTEMS UK LTD'

The William Webb Ellis, Rugby 

Click here to visit the webpage 

presents

1956 Springbok Headboard

Whilst touring New Zealand in 1956 the Springbok rugby team travelled the length and breadth of New Zealand in special trains. There were two different trains used by the tour party, one on the North Island, one on the South.  Each train had a special hand painted headboard attached to the front. We have available the North Island headboard which at the time was attached to a 52-seater diesel railcar.

Accompanying the headboard are the following items.  (WRM-554)

Players itinerary issued by New Zealand Railways. - Contains information on the team, match itinerary and travel itinerary, map of NZ with places of interest.  (WRM-553)

New Zealand Railways Waikato v Springboks special trains handbill. This was a famous victory for the Waikato team who defeated the Springboks 14 - 10 in the first match of the New Zealand leg of the tour. The train timetable gives details of stops between Auckland and Hamilton and includes fare prices. (WRM-551)

We welcome enquires from prospective partners interested in exhibiting this headboard ! 

CLICK HERE TO EMAIL THE WORLD RUGBY MUSEUM  

presents

1905 Wales and the All Blacks Collection

One of the greatest teams that ever was, the 1905 All Blacks, 'The Originals'. 32 matches, 834 points for, 39 against, in comparison to the 1924 All Black Invincibles who scored 838 but had 116 points against, Gallaher's team were dominant in 1905, beating Australia 14-3, Scotland 12-7, Ireland 15-0 and England 15-0. As they scorched a trail through England and Scotland, the one note of defiance they heard was 'wait until you get to Wales'. Wales were unbeaten also, thrashing England 25-0, beating Scotland 6-3 and Ireland 10-3. So the scene was set, Triple Crown Wales against the all conquering All Blacks, the team that had never been beaten, EVER. The match ? The match was the most controversial rugby match ever, Wales went ahead with a try by Teddy Morgan then the All Blacks thought they'd scored and claim that Dean's was dragged back from over the line. The arguments rage. We are offering a collection relating to this tour and the to the Wales match.in particular. 

The star item in the collection is a 1905 All Blacks jersey swapped with Welsh player Cliff Pritchard after the match with Wales. Cliff Pritchard was the Welsh 'Rover', the man who supplied the pass to Rhys Gabe who fed Teddy Morgan who scored the try. According to the local newspaper the Pontypool Free Press, Pritchard caught the train home to Pontypool and when he arrived in the station at 11.23 pm he was expecting it to be deserted. The station however was packed with well wishers. They then carried him shoulder high through the streets, very likely this jersey was draped over his shoulders as he was carried along by the jubilant crowd. We are offering this jersey along with a number of other items relating to Wales and the All Blacks in 1905, the most famous of years.

Our preferences with this collection are as follows.

1. We would prefer the collection to stay in Wales.

WORLD-RUGBY-MUSEUM - 1905 WALES AND THE ALL BLACKS COLLECTION

Item 1 - NZ All Blacks jersey swapped with Welsh Rover Cliff Pritchard after the game. After the game dave Gallaher led his men to the Welsh dressing room and they swapped jerseys, Gallaher with Nicholls, Wallace with Llewellyn, we are unsure which All Black played in this jersey as Gallaher was Pritchard's opposite number. The jersey comes with provenance detailing it's origin. The quality of this jersey remains fantastic even to this day. 

Item 2 - Signed ball - An autographed ball that was purchased at the same time as a signed photo of the 1905 All Blacks. We are unable to identify the signatures, it may well be that this is a ball which was played with during the tour. It was practice for the All Blacks to retain the match ball at the end of the game and to get both sides to sign the ball. The leather is in A1 condition and the bladder has been replaced. Another ball purchased from the same collection is signed by the 1906 Springboks. (WRM Ref: AB17)

Item 3 - "The Complete Rugby Footballer" by Gallaher & Stead - A general rugby book by the captain & vice-captain of the All Blacks with a large section on the 1905 All Blacks tour. Written by the captain and vice-captain of the 1905 All Blacks.

Item 4 - "The Triumphant Tour of the New Zealand Footballers 1905" by George Dixon - The manager's account of the tour. A presentation copy, hardback, copies sold to the public were softback, this is an original cover for the book which is in excellent condition. 

Item 5 - "Why the All Blacks Triumphed" by JA BUTTERY, Match by match coverage of the tour with post match comments by the leading rugby figures of the time, Arthur Gould, H Alexander, Billy Bancroft, Leonard Tosswill. This copy has been re-bound retaining original but very poor covers. 

Item 6 - An original copy of The Graphic, a pictorial newspaper, dated 18th December 1905, the Monday following the game. This paper has the majority of the front page dedicated to the Welsh victory and two pages of photographs and match reports inside.  (WRM-0529)

Item 7 - Modern reproduction of the official programme for Wales v New Zealand match.

Item 8 - "British Sports and Sportsmen - Cricket and Football".  A large 573 page coffee table sized publication, No 140 of a limited edition of 1000 copies, compiled and edited by "The Sportsman", published in 1917. A notable inclusion into this collection because of the chapter "Strategy and Tactics in the Welsh Rugby Game" by TJ Pryce Jenkins (Welsh International 1888, founder of London Welsh RFC). This chapter deals in depth with the tactics of the 1905 All Blacks and why they swept all before them and the counteracting tactics used by the Welsh team to defeat the All Blacks. Most publications deal with the Morgan try and the Deans incident but this is an in depth intelligent look at the tactics used by both teams, in his introduction to the All Black tour Jenkins states "The New Zealander's practically "walked over" our greatest English teams in the most surprising manner. There is no more convincing argument in favour of a knowledge of strategy and tactics than the counter moves performed by the Welsh clubs and the Welsh international team against the conquering All Blacks when they crossed the Severn."      

Item 9 - Great western Railway flyer/advert advertising train times from the South West of England to Cardiff.  (WRM-0114)

Item 10 - 12 page booklet titled "The New Zealand Football Team Souvenir of the Visit to Wales". printed prior to the All Blacks visit this quaint little booklet is published by A M'Lay & Co. Ltd of Cardiff.

Item 11 - Vintage postcard of 1905 Wales team, used, dated 1908 (WRM-0118)

Item 12 - Vintage colour postcard of 1905 NZ team, used, dated 24/12/1905, postmarked Devon.

Item 13 - Vintage squad photo of All Blacks, unused.

Item 14 - Pair of football boots, circa 1900s. These boots are almost identical to those worn by Dickie Owen in the match. (WRM 107)

Item 15 - "The book of Fame", a modern paperback novel by Kiwi Lloyd Jones, in diary form it is an account of the All Black tour from start to finish, it draws much on the newspaper accounts of the period.

Item 16 -Revenge of the All Blacks A 1924  Welsh rugby jersey. The next tour to follow the 1905 All Blacks were the all conquering 1924 All Black Invincibles who defeated Wales 19-0. This Welsh jersey was taken back to New Zealand by an All Black player Les Cupples, who played as a forward in this match. WRM has rescued this jersey from the land of the long white cloud and brought it home to Wales. The jersey is a number 15 and was worn during match by Jack Gore, the Blaina forward and father of Billy Gore. Jack won 4 caps for Wales in 1924 & 25.

Item 17 - Welsh Trial Cap 1905 - This cap belonged to Jack Jenkins who went on to gain his only cap in 1906 against the Springboks. 

Item 18 - A "Western Mail" Giant Postcard featuring 1905 Welsh captain Gwyn Nicholls. The postcard was a presented with the paper, we believe soon after the New Zealand game. The total size is 22cm x 13cm. 

Item 19 - Postcard, New Zealand team (v Wales)  (WRM-0116)

Item 20 - Postcard, Cardiff team (v New Zealand), the Cardiff team narrowly lost 10 - 8 to the All Balcks

Item 21 - Recently published book on the 1905 tour - "1905 Originals" by Bob Howitt & Dianne Haworth.

Item 22 - Recently published book on the 1905 tour - "The Originals - 1905 All Black Rugby Odyssey" by John McCrystal.

Item 23 - Reproduction of the pirate programme on sale at the match, it is believed these were printed and sold at the 1935 or 1953 match, this particular copy belonged to Norman Fox of Cardiff who's best friend was Tom Nicholls, believed to be a relation of Gwyn (pictured on the front cover). Reproduced by S Glossop & Sons Ltd, Cardiff. (WRM-0120)

Item 24 - Wales v England 1905 players brooch/badge. These badges were presented to the players & possibily committee. It is made by Crouch of Cardiff and hallmarked, believed to be 8ct gold, still in original box. 

Item 25 - Welsh team autographs - 11 of the Welsh team have signed this sheet on or around the date of the match, the 4 autographs to the bottom, Jones, Llewellyn, Pritchard & Bush are facsimile autographs and not originals. On the reverse of the sheet are the autographs of the 1906 Ireland team that defeated Wales, Ireland were the first team to beat Wales after the 1905 game. (WRM-0100)

Item 26 - 1905 Welsh team listing on WRU headed notepaper with Eric Evans as secretary circa 1953. (not illustrated)

Item 27 - 1905 All Blacks advertising poster for Jason's Unshrinkable Underwear 'the Underwear for Athletes'. This must have been one of the very first endorsements by a rugby team. There is a wonderful illustration of the All Blacks playing England at Crystal Palace underneath which is written "The New Zealand Footballers Write, 4th Jan 1906. "Gentlemen, It may interest you to learn that the 'Jason Underwear' has given general satisfaction to members of the New Zealand Football team, it's general good qualities (especially the fact of it's being unshrinkable) justify us in commending it to all Athletes and Sportsmen. Yours faithfully.................there then appears facsimile autographs of the New Zealand team apart from Mr O'Sullivan who was unable to sign having broken his collarbone. The poster has been backed onto hardboard, it is slightly clipped, notably to the top edge, it is also chipped around the edges and part of Glasgow's signature is missing. The total size is 22" x 16". (WRM-0661) 

Item 28 - Original photo of Welsh team. This is a quality photograph of the team, approx size 15" x 11" mounted on board. We believe the photograph to date from 1905 and to have been presented to a player, probably Percy Bush, it is identical to the one presented to Willie Llewellyn by the WFU.. Cuttings from a book bearing the teams, scorers and photo line up have been pasted to the lower edge of the photo. The total size including mount is 21" x 17" inches = 51 cm x 43 cm. We suggest pairing this photo with the team autographs  (WRM-0663) .  

Item 29 - The official programme. This programme was bought at the game by John Summers of Cardiff, illustrated left. Twenty three year old John was a keen sportsman, a member of athletics club Roath Harriers, he worked together with his father in the family business (James Summers Funeral Directors). In his delight at the score line John has inscribed in pencil on the front "Wales won by one try N.Z. nil. John died in 1949 and the programme has passed down through the Summers family, to John's son Morlais, a Cardiff & District representative and then to grandson Paul.  We are grateful to Paul, himself a ex-player with Glamorgan Wanderers for allowing us to include this programme in this collection. The condition of the programme is fair, it has some small pieces missing from the back cover and a tear (approx 2") to the second page with some foxing throughout, the spine has split and all pages are loose.  (WRM-0121)

Item 30 - The official programme 1905 souvenir reprint. The souvenir is exactly the same as the official programme apart from being printed onto card and with the match score and photos of Teddy Morgan & Gwyn Nicholls added to the centre pages. We are unsure of it's origin but the fact that it is printed on card suggests it may have been a keepsake presented to the players or committee of the Welsh Rugby Union. The condition is fair with soiling to the front and back covers resulting in some minor loss to the text. Inside the programme is clean with some minor notations to the team pages.  

Item 31 - 1935 re-union of the 1905 Welsh team dinner menu. A dinner given at the Park Hotel, Cardiff on the eve of the 1935 Wales v New Zealand encounter. A large 8 page card menu which contains a superb illustration by cartoonist JC Walker featuring the top table at the dinner, players and officials featured are 'Old Stager' (journalist), Gwyn Nicholls, Rhys Gabe, Horace Lyne, David Rocyn Jones & Walter Rees. Other pages contain the menu, toast list, players photos and details, Signed by 39 including Teddy Morgan, Cliff Pritchard, Willie Llewellyn & Rhys Gabe. This is the personal copy of the journalist Old Stager. (WRM-0110)

Item 32 - A book by Welsh captain Gwyn Nicholls published in 1908, titled "The Modern Rugby Game". Primarily a coaching book Nicholls draws on his personal experiences as a player to highlight the various facets of the game. Includes a detailed description of the scrum tactics that 'stole' the loosehead from the All Blacks. 

Item 33 - "Captain Bush March" - music dedicated to stand off Percy Bush, the Cardiff captain who won his first cap in this match.

Item 34 - Postcard of "The Invincible New Zealand Football Team" published by Tuck & Sons, published prior to the Welsh game and postmarked 11th December 1905, five days before the Welsh match. 

Item 35 - A menu card for a dinner held at the Hotel Metropole, Swansea on Feb 1st 1929. This is the evening before Wales were to play Scotland at St Helen's. This is almost certainly a committee dinner. The card is signed by 18, those present include John Dewar Dallas (referee Wales v NZ 1905) and Gwyn Nicholls. (WRM-0512)

Item 36 & 37 - "The Times' newspaper containing a match preview and report from the Wales v NZ match 1905 

Item 38 - Cardiff Football club programme, a rare match programme issued by the Cardiff club and printed by 'The South Wales Graphic' (WRM-0717) 

Without doubt ! this is one of the finest collections in the world relating to the most historic game of rugby ever played. 

We welcome enquires from prospective partners interested in exhibiting this collection! 

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Part of the collection on view at the Neath Rugby 125 exhibition

presents

HEROES COLLECTION

The great EDGAR MOBBS & the great TOM RICHARDS 

Reverse side

Illustrated - 1. Greg Growden's biography of Richards "Gold, Mud & Guts". 2 & 3. Pages from the book relating to Richard's tour with the Midlanders, 4. Richards shortly after receiving the Military Cross

EDGAR MOBBS was one of the great leaders of the 20th Century. After captaining the Midlands XV in the Wallabies only defeat in England during their 1908/9 tour, he made his international debut against the Olympic champions later on the tour, playing in a total of 7 internationals including captaining the side against France in 1910. At club and county level Mobbs was a prolific try scorer crossing his opponents line 6 times on at least 3 occasions. Although a superb footballer Mobbs is most widely known for his wartime leadership. At the breakout of World War One he was refused a commission on the grounds that at the age of 32 he was judged too old. Un-perturbed by officialdom the Northampton man went away and encouraged local sportsmen and friends to join 'D' Company of the 7th Northants Battalion. After joining as a private he later rose to the rank of Colonel and the company became known as "Mobbs Own". Awarded the DSO in the New Year's Honours list of 1917, Mobbs was killed in action on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres on 31st July 1917. In a tribute to this great man a statue was unveiled in the centre of Northampton and each year a memorial match takes place between an East Midlands side and the Barbarians in his honour.

TOM RICHARDS is one of only two players to have represented both the British Isles & Australia*. A member of the 1908 touring Wallabies 'Rusty' Richards played in the first Olympic gold medal winning rugby team when the Australian tourists beat a Cornwall side representing Great Britain in the Olympic 'final'. In 1910 while he was working in South Africa and playing for Transvaal, Dr Tom Smythe's touring team called on his services while they waited for replacements from Britain. He tenuously qualified as British having played for Bristol and Gloucestershire 1905-06, including an appearance against the 1906/7 Springboks. In an amazing co-incidence Richards was also almost a 'Springbok'. Prior to the tour he was working in South Africa and was a certainty for the tour but was ruled ineligible During the first world war he was one of the first to land at Gallipoli and was awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous bravery during the battle of Bullecourt. He was gassed badly during the war and suffered ill health until his death in 1935. In 2001 the British Lions and Australia competed for the "Tom Richards" Trophy in honour of this great man.       

Item 2 -  A copy of Henry Grierson's "Ramblings of a Rabbit", an autobiographical work of a Rosslyn Park player who was a close companion of Mobbs' during the war. Mobbs & Grierson were in fact wounded by the same shell, Grierson in the 'headmaster's area'. A 15 page chapter is dedicated to Mobbs, the narrative is both entertaining and informative. Published in 1924 this is a rare book (RRP - £120.00) 

Item 3 - "The Mobbs Own" 1914-1918 The 7th Battalion the Northamptonshire Regiment" by David Woodhall, paperback history of the Regiment including a short biography of Mobbs (RRP - £7.99)

Item 4 - "Gold, Mud and Guts" by Greg Growden - 234 page biography of Tom Richards, dedicated and signed copy. (RRP - £24.95)

Item 5 - East Midlands Rugby Union Centenary booklet 160 pages, includes 3 pages on the life of Edgar Mobbs.

Item 6 - "Sportsman and Soldier, Edgar Mobbs, a personal tribute" by SJ (Jenny) Edwards - A biography of Mobbs by his niece, well put together, a labour of love by Jenny who has inherited Mobbs' wartime papers. A lot of these are scanned into the book, letters, trench maps, tributes etc. Approx 100 pages, an A4 size  hardback book published without a dust wrapper. 

Item 7 - Book - "Rugby Football Internationals Roll of Honour" by EHD Sewell, A tribute to all the rugby internationals who died during the Great War 1914 - 1919.  Photographs and biographies of each player containing details of their rugby careers and war record. Includes some of the games great names, Ronald Poulton-Palmer, Edgar Mobbs, Bedell-Sivright, Charlie Pritchard. Obituaries of players from the following countries, England (26), Scotland (30),  Wales (11), Ireland (9), New Zealand (9), South Africa (4), 89 in total. A beautiful publication with illustrated boards. This is a worn copy, the personal copy of Ross McWhirter, the Guinness Book of Records founder and Oxford University historian. 11 plates of Oxford men have been removed from the book and have been used to illustrate these players biographies in the Oxford University history, unfortunately they were not replaced. The Oxford University Centenary History accompanies this book. 

Simon Robinson, Nothampton for info on Tebbitt, Pettit & Cook. 

Martin Willis - Mobbs & Richards corrections + Swannell info  

presents

1906 Springboks collection

1906 Springboks signed ball. A 'Zug' ball possibly manufactured in South Africa but certainly available for purchase in SA, see the Perrins & Burke, Port Elizabeth advert, where you can buy the 'Zug' for 15 shillings. This advert is dated 1910. The signatures have faded on the ball and written on one of the panels is 1906 Springboks, this can only be seen at a certain angle and light, we can only make out the one autograph which is Stegmann, match balls at this time were normally autographed by both teams who had played in a match. The bladder has been replaced in this ball. This ball is certainly a case for the conservationist. The photo of a signed ball is one of the 1906 tourists that was illustrated in Piggot's book of the tour, see below, item number 5. (WRM-0357)

Wales v South Africa 1st Decemebr 1906 official programme - (WRM-0434)

1906/7 Springboks, signed team photo, an official team photograph signed by the Springbok touring party. 26 signatures in total. Krige & SW Morkel are pictured in the inserts, both players were in hospital at the time of the photo. The total size for the photograph is 55cm x 44cm (22" x 18"), there is a slight damp stain to the bottom left and there are some marks on the sides where the photo has been removed from a frame. Ref: (RR- LN4)

"The Sprinbokken Tour in Great Britain" by EJL Platnauer  (book) (not illustrated) - an absolutely fantastic account of this great tour, match by match reports plus extensive player biographies, superbly illustrated with many full page plates. (WRM-559)

"The Springboks - History of the Tour"  (book) by FN Piggott, 1st edition published in 1907, a 140 page book with match reports and tour information (WRM-561)

"The Carolin Papers" (book) by Laubscher & Nieman - a diary of the tour, published in 1990, based on the diary and memorabilia of Paddy Carolin. Partnered with an auction catalogue for the Carolin Papers, the collection was sold by 'private treaty' in 2001 (WRM-560, WRM-558)

*Mark Ella was in the habit of cutting of the sleeves of his jersey at the elbow, as were several other of the Wallaby players. He played all 4 tests in a long sleeve jersey.    

The items included in this collection are as follows:-

Item 1 - Wallaby jersey (WRM-0513)

Item 2 - "Victorious Wallabies", a book on the tour written by Terry Cooper (WRM-0514)

Item 3 - A complete set of Grand Slam programmes, v England, Ireland, Wales & Scotland plus a copy of the Barbarians programme. (WRM-0515)

This collection is only available as part of our World Rugby Museum 'Partner Programme' please email us for more information on the 'Partner Programme'

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